Prayer and Psalm 107

The first grouping of people in trouble was those lost in the desert.

Verse 4 thru 9 says, “Some wandered in the desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle, they were hungry and thirsty and their lives ebbed away, then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He let them by a straight way, to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the hungry with good things."

Here these people were literally lost in an inhospitable terrain, and could find no way to a city. The Lord led them, not in a meandering way but a straight way right to a city where they could settle. One thing to think about within this is procrastination and patience. Often we are patient in prayer but if the Lord is leading you straight to a solution, that settles the case so to speak, then take the settlement. At least be open to this happening, that the Lord might lead you straight through the confusion, chaos, all the variables, and get you straight to a solution that settles it. If God does give you the straight way out, take it. The troubles are still going to brew in your prior situation, which at this point is familiar. You've seen those movies, people finally get a way out of say a dangerous forest, but someone wants to take one last look and linger a bit, instead of rushing to finally get away.

The next group of people in trouble was those in prison.

This is from verses 10 thru 16.

Some sat in darkness and the deeper gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High, So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains; Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze, and cuts through bars of iron.

Here it says about the prisoners, that there was no one to help. This is quite believable even in today’s context. Once someone has lost their case and is in prison, and the appeal process is over, their defense attorney will likely disappear and there is no recourse left. The way society is, we rely on each others help in so many ways. Just to keep the trains running, we are relying on those who maintain the trains and the routes as well as run them. We are relying on the cook at the restaurant. And there is yellow pages worth of ads for help for any other problem you can think of. But here, in prison, access to these normal means of help is mostly lost.

But then, even for someone not is prison, those words," there is no one to help", can have resonance depending on what they are dealing with. Here, in the case of prisoners, God is directly coming into that space, where there is no one to help, and giving the fullest assistance all the way to setting them free.

The next group of people that are in trouble are those who are physically sick or ill.

Verse 17 thru 22 says, “Some became fools through their rebellious ways, and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food, and drew near the gates of death, and then they cried to the Lord in their distress, He sent forth his word, and healed them, he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love, and his wonderful deeds for men, Let them sacrifice thank offerings, and tell of his works with songs of joy."

These people were so sick that food looked bad to them. Today, maybe people choosing to abuse drugs which soon can become a no choice situation could feel this way after awhile. The need for healing can manifest in so many ways, look at the complexity of medicine and medicinal drugs today.

The key verse here is “He sent forth his word, and healed them."

In Mathew chapter 8 verse 8 it says," The centurion replied," Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed."

Here the situation is settled, the healing is won, with the word. The centurion says he is undeserving but he is certainly not undiscerning, and he sees the healing as a matter of the word. In asking for healing from the Lord, we are asking the Lord to send his word our way, specifically in our direction. Send your word to me.

Any number of situations can certainly define as trouble.

The next grouping of those in trouble is those lost at sea, and the imaging here is particularly encouraging.

Verse 23 thru 32 says, “Others went out to sea in ships, they were merchants on the mighty waters, the saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful works in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up the tempest, and lifted high the ways. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths, in their peril their courage melted away, They rocked and staggered like drunken men, they were at their wits end, Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress, He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the seas were hushed, they were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven, Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love, and his wonderful deeds for men, Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the council of the elders."

Here these people at first had some good business deals going and where seeing some sights. In a little bit of a Jonah like situation, God brought the troubles to the seas, causing high waves.

Verses 29 and 30 are key verses for discernment in prayer. In verse 29, the waves of the seas were hushed and the storm reduced to a whisper. There was only a slight remnant of what had happened. There was a visible calm, cited in verse 30, and then on top of everything else, the Lord was bringing them to their desired port, giving them exactly what they wanted.

Calmness is something that the Lord gives in answer to a prayer as he leads one to their desired port or haven, and the presence of calmness is part of discerning the answer.

I could picture this type of scene in modern days, a Navy fleet in all sorts of trouble, and then the calming and the Lord getting them right to their favorite port, maybe in an exotic locale, in the mid morning sun along a vibrant seafront, and welcoming friends on shore and all sorts of other good things awaiting, exactly what they wanted. Also, this is a more general metaphor, of the Lord leading you out of any kind of trouble, then bee lining you to exactly what you desired. Not only are you getting out of trouble, you are also getting exactly what you want.

The remainder of the psalm shows the Lord intervening in nature against the wicked and for the needy, who may have been oppressed by the wicked or had their separate troubles that had nothing to do with the wicked. These last verses show how the Lord will affect outer surroundings, depending on what he wants to do for or possibly against certain individuals. Status will be lost if you are on the wrong side of the Lord’s blessings. Verse 40 says, “He pours contempt on nobles, and makes them wander in a trackless wastes. “ Whatever they did to offend and transgress, and it might have had something to do with taking advantage of their higher positions in a not so good way, their former nobility was overlooked by the Lord and there are no tracks to follow for them. They are not only in a wasteland, but there are no tracks to follow to find their way out of it. The Lord has taken them out of their good positions, left them in a wasteland, with no way out; any and all tracking points are lost. He is saying you lose. Correspondingly, the Lord will give those tracking points to those whom he is helping.

A key verse in the last section of the psalm is verse 41 where it says, “He lifted the needy out of their affliction, and increased their families like flocks."

From this, apparently the Lord wants families that are for him, which here, he increases like flocks. Today, there is the idea of the family as a mini church, a family that prays together, stays together.

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